Grace woke up after a while, but by then, it was already nighttime.
"What happened to me?" she asked, struggling to lift herself up.
Rose gently helped her into a sitting position and said, "You suddenly collapsed. You've been out for hours."
"I'm sorry," Grace said with a faint smile, "I must have been exhausted from taking care of Hana."
Rose remained silent for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Grace seemed to understand what Rose was getting at but played dumb. "What are you talking about?"
Rose rolled up her sleeve to reveal a bruise. "Why didn't you tell me about the bastard who did this to you?" Rose's voice was a low growl, full of unrestrained fury. It was the kind of anger you didn't want anyone to witness. But Rose let it all out.
"Because I don't want to burden someone as busy as you, Rose," Grace said, her smile serene despite the ache she felt. The strength in her ability to smile through pain was remarkable. "I didn't want to add to your already heavy load. I don't have that right."
Rose's eyes flashed with intensity. "You have every right to tell me," she said firmly. "You're like a sister to me. Sure, we're not blood-related, but after all those years living in my family's house, you're the one who looked after me."
Grace's gaze softened as she spoke. "I'm just a maid," she said quietly. "Your family assigned me to take care of you when you were just a child. But I've always thought of you as my little sister. Without any family of my own, having you around fills my heart with warmth. But that's exactly why I can't burden you with this."
Hmm... So they weren't really related by blood after all. But then again, families come in many forms.
"Besides, I don't think Philip is as bad as you're making him out to be," Grace said, her voice soft but steady, as if she was trying to convince herself as much as Rose. "Sure, sometimes he gets rough with me, like this..." She touched the bruise, wincing slightly, "...but it's never to the point of trying to kill me.
I mean, a father wouldn't go so far as to kill the woman he married and fathered a daughter with, right? He's not a bad guy. I wouldn't have married him if he was. Although... I kinda wish he'd stop following along with whatever people he's hanging out with. He changed when he joined that group."
That night, I slipped out of my room, the floor creaking softly under my weight as I moved through the dim hallway. I reached Grace's room and carefully pushed the door open, peering inside. She was asleep, her face pale against the pillow, looking so fragile. Her daughter, Hana, was tucked in the small crib beside her, sleeping soundly, blissfully unaware of the storm swirling around her life.
"She won't do anything stupid... not with us here, right?" I muttered under my breath, eyes darting from Grace to her child. "Maybe she's holding back because she's got Hana now. Maybe being a mother's enough to keep her grounded."
But I knew it was bullshit. Everything about her screams lie. She loved that bastard once, but that was long gone. The marks on her skin were proof of that. He hurt her, but she stayed because, at some point, love had blinded her. Not anymore, though.
Now, whatever was left of that love had rotted away. She'd never love him again.
What Rose didn't catch—but I did—was the hollow emptiness in Grace's eyes. That wasn't the look of a woman in denial, it was the look of someone who'd spiraled so far down into despair that she was begging for a way out. Every little movement, the way she walked, the way she carried herself—it all screamed of a broken woman on the edge. And the way she walked?
That wasn't the only thing that was wrong with her. Something else lurked beneath the surface, something darker.
As I was leaving the house, something caught my eye—a rope. My chest tightened. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but knowing the hell Grace was living through, it wasn't hard to guess what that rope could mean. It wasn't a matter of if anymore—it was when. I needed to get rid of that rope and make sure she stayed far away from anything sharp. This was going to spiral if I didn't step in fast.
Once I stepped outside, I called out, "Morthea?"
In response, vines unfurled from a nearby tree, slithering down its trunk before a woman emerged halfway from its bark. Only her upper body was visible, the rest still fused with the tree. The dog nearby barked like crazy, but I quickly quieted it by activating the Guardian around him. He stopped almost instantly.
"Seen anything unusual?" I asked her, my voice low.
"Yes, Master," Morthea replied, her voice as soft as the wind. "I've sensed many different life forces... from several men, all lingering around her."
I clenched my fists. "I see."
The ugly truth hit me like a punch to the gut. Her husband... that piece of shit. He hadn't just hurt her; he'd let other men use her. What a sick, twisted, pathetic fucking cuck.